Armistice
by SquirrellyThief
Summary: A moment's heistation can change everything. Even your enemies.
1. Part one

Disclaimer:

All of these Characters belong to Kouta Hirano, who is not me.

Posted a rougher version… my bad.

Anyway, part one of three

_**Warning:**_

_**CONTAINS vol. 8, vol. 9 and vol. 10 and ending spoilers.**_

**Chapter 1**

**Turning Points (1)**

The fires of London roared, smoke engulfed the sky. The sounds of battle, the explosions, and shrieks of the living dead all but muted the words:

"You've fought this far on your own, therefore, deep down; you know my words are true!"

Somewhere in the distance a building collapsed.

_Only a human._

Anderson hesitated.

_Do not become the monster I am._

Heartbeats passed. His thoughts became clouded with doubt. Alucard continued talking, but Anderson could barely hear him.

"Use them in the name of divine punishment!"

_No. Hold fast. This is how it should be._

A second and Anderson found his voice, only to lose it just as quickly. His hesitation had cost him dearly; sensing his doubt, Alucard was rapidly closing the gap between them. Anderson swung, the Nail plunging for his own heart.

A bullet tore into his right shoulder; the sudden, violent impact sent his arm swinging harmlessly aside.

The vampire was less than an arm's length away.

"Doubt is very unbecoming of you, Christian."

The priest back-peddled trying to get enough space between the two of them to use the Nail effectively, but Alucard pursued him step-for-step.

Someone shouted behind him. A bullet whizzed past his face, followed by another, and another; each striking home in the vampire's head and torso. Heinkel.

Anderson seized the opportunity to change strategies. He turned, and bolted sidelong, out of Alucard's path. Bullets ricocheted off of crumbled walls and exposed pipes behind him. His heart pounding, Anderson, again brought Helena's nail toward his chest. A bullet struck his leg, throwing him off balance and sending him to the ground. The new tear in the priest's thigh throbbed, but didn't bleed.

Again, the gap was closed. Anderson tried desperately to orient himself; the Nail was close by, but no longer in his hand. He reached for it as he attempted to stand up, and a heavy boot stomped on his outstretched hand. There was a sickening crunch of bone.

A chorus of angry voices erupted amongst the din, "Father!"

_No. Not now. I cannot fail._

Utilizing what little mobility he still had in his left arm, the paladin plunged a silver bayonet into the booted leg that pinned him to the ground, and rolled away when the limb recoiled. Before Alucard could pull the blade from his leg, Anderson had scooped up the wooden shard and dashed out of harm's way.

"Master!"

Seras appeared before them, stopping the human dead in his tracks.

"You seem to be surrounded," Alucard laughed, "now where will you run?"

"Ah needn't run," Anderson shouted, "Ah will become ae benevolent tempest, ae delightfully dreadful starm, one both heartless and tearless." He raised the Nail high above his head, "and by the Grace o' God, Ah will end you, daemon!" Anderson's arm swung down.

His hand didn't.

* * *

"Walter!" Integra couldn't believe her eyes.

Her butler stood several meters above the ground gracefully perched on strands of that dreadful floss. He watched Anderson collapse then brought the priest's severed hand, which was still clutching the nail, closer.

"So," he had a smugness in his voice that was never there before, "this is the fabled, Helena's Nail. My, my. You Catholics certainly do have some interesting toys."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Yumie's voice rang out from the crowd.

Walter ignored her; he freed the nail and let the hand fall to the ground. "Hmph. I wonder…" a clamor behind him drew Walter from his thoughts.

Yumiko, sword drawn, was running toward him with lightning speed. He smirked, and with a nimble flick of his wrist, Walter sheared her head from her shoulders.

"Yumie!" Heinkel leveled her pistol, "You bastard…"

A soft swish of fabric and the quiet _click_ of a pistol cocking to her left. Before Heinkel could so much as see the Capitan standing beside her, he'd fired a single round into her face.

"Walter, why?"

The butler turned on his former employer, "Do _not_ call me that name!" he wove strands of floss between his fingers. "I… am unstoppable. I will let no one stand in my way!" He slipped the Nail into a vest pocket. "No one! Nothing between me and my glory!"

"You're glory?" Schrödinger's childish voice seemed out of place among them. "Ha! You vere never meant for glory Valter." He stood between Alucard and Integra.

"What?"

"You heard me."

And he was gone.

* * *

"Father Anderson!" Seras Victoria's voice lulled him out of the shock. "Can you stand?"

"Aye," Moving was another matter entirely, but with a little assistance, he managed to get to the sidelines as Walter targeted a kneeling Alucard.

"Stand and fight!"

Alucard laughed at him. He turned to Integra, "In order to kill I must know the intent. What were your orders, _master?_"

Integra began to walk away. She approached Seras and Anderson, directed them away from the battle, and began to walk off after them. She flicked her cigar to the ground and, with a calm, collected tone said "Search and destroy," but the longer she spoke, the more fuel she gave to her fury, "anyone who stands in the way is the enemy. The enemy must be destroyed! No matter whom they are…or who they were. Do not fail me, servant!"

"_Yes master."_

* * *

"Why?"

Seras laughed, "Why not?"

Anderson wasn't exactly in the mood to argue the point. "Put mae down."

"Not until you can stand on your own."

The priest groaned. "Ah'll only slow ye down. Leave mae here, ah'll recover, then catch up with ye, or kill Alucard, it doesn't really matter."

Seras paused, obviously giving it some thought. "I'll come back for you," she said, easing him to the floor, just inside the zeppelin.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Anderson groaned again. Seras laughed. A gunshot caught both of their attentions. Schrödinger's near-headless body laid on the floor for a few moments, then disappeared.

"Come Seras."

"Yessir."

The two women left and Anderson wondered if the draculina really would come back for him if the need arose. He snorted at his own foolishness and shook off the thoughts. The battle below was much more interesting.

Well, blitzkrieg would be a more appropriate term.

* * *

One moment, Alucard's gun backfired and the paladin had to forcefully suppress the urge to laugh.

The next moment Walter was falling apart. Dying in the middle of the battle with out sustaining any wounds.

The moment after, Alucard was strung up, and ripped to ribbons and the ex-butler appeared to have lost thirty years of age, Anderson wasn't entirely sure when that happened. He blinked a few times to make sure the whole thing was real. Schrödinger appeared.

"Valter, Valter, tsk tsk." He sighed, "I expected so much more from you."

"What!" the butler seemed unsteady. "You again!"

"Ja ja." The boy laughed, "Now there is just one little matter ve must address."

Walter's eyes narrowed.

"Der Nagel."

"No," the ex-butler stood a little straighter. "Get out of my way, my battle is won, and the—"

"Nein." Schrödinger glared at him, "Nein, there is no victory for you, Valter. You vill die. Now, gebt mir der Nagel."

A pause.

"Mother stirs."

"Ja, she does." He was next to Walter now, violently ripping Helena's nail from his vest pocket, "and she vill punish those that have failed her."

"I have not failed."

But, again, the boy was gone.

Walter hesitated a moment, saw that Alucard was still strung up in the demon floss, and dove in for the kill as if nothing had happened.

_No… no! He's wrong. I cannot, -no- WILL not fail her now._

* * *

Anderson had given up on trying to understand the events occurring below, as soon as that cat-boy had shown up. Instead, he was scouting rooftops and alleys for any sign of life from his catholic brethren.

So far, there was none.

He found that he could stand on his own power now. His regenerative abilities had given him that much, as well as limited use of his right arm minus one hand. His left, where Alucard had shot him with that Jackal, may need real medical attention.

The zeppelin didn't seem to be holding out, so Anderson fled into the rubble.

The draculina and the Hellsing woman could handle themselves. When he watched the entrance explode into shrapnel, he thought they didn't have much of a choice. His conscience didn't like that logic.

He leaned heavily against a wall of rubble; he would scout out the area for another way in, and continue looking for his fellows in the meantime. Anderson took a deep, steadying breath.

"…Heinkel, brothers…" he closed his eyes, prayed for their safety, and then set off for the rooftops. A birds' eye view seemed a healthy advantage. Maybe he could spot the little cat-bastard and get Helena's Nail back. Wishful thinking.

* * *

Seras wondered if the priest had made it out in one piece when the entrance exploded.

There was no time for that now. Guards were charging them, shooting at them, and otherwise trying to killer her master and her.

Death, and those craving it, surrounded them. Seras was more frustrated, more enraged with every willing life she took. Life, or unlife rather, was of no value to them. She wanted to scream. Integra steadied her.

"Remember the mission."

She nodded, "Search and destroy."

Heinkel found herself leading a small troupe of priests to safety, and realized that wasn't where she was needed.

So, the nun handed off control of the group to another, she spoke slowly and deliberately, so he could understand her despite her mangled jaw:

"Lead the others, find any and all survivors and lead them to safety."

"Hein-"

Heinkel raised a hand to silence him, "I'm going to search for Father Anderson, that Hellsing woman and her pet carried him off somewhere, and I do not intend to let him stay there." She took a deep breath and separated from the group, "We are no longer needed in battle. We are missionaries now. Dedicated to helping God's chidren."

The other priests stared silently.

"Find survivors, lead them to safety. That's an order."

"Yes sir."

They marched off in separate directions. Heinkel made her way to an unstable roof.

When she looked down to the street, her breath caught.

Blood. Rivers of it flowed like water along the streets.

Still no sign of Anderson.

Maybe he was in the river.

She didn't want to think about that. Rifle slung over her shoulder, Heinkel picked her way through the debris; hoping that there was some shred of humanity left in the hell that was once London.

"Zzzz…Warrant Office Schrödinger… Zzz Come in."

"Ja Doc?"

"Zzz commence operation Zzzz _imaginäre Katze_"

"Ja Herr."

Schrödinger tossed the radio into the growing river of blood. It was a terrible site to behold.

Alucard…

Schrödinger sang a song of victory.

Footsteps approached.

He drew his dagger.

Faster now.

The priest beside him.

But he was already going… going…

_Stopped_

End chapter one.

_Any events that occurred here that weren't mentioned happened as per the manga. If I wrote it all in I'd feel like I was stealing something, so I just wrote the events that were changed._

A/N: Ugh, this came out as a little less than I wanted it to. If that makes any sense.

This is only meant to be a prequel, so I don't expect much of it. It's so disorienting, but all of these events happen so rapidly I kind of had to write it this way. Hmph.


	2. Part two

I may just merge this with its sequel later.

But for now, part 2 of 3.

**Chapter 2**

**Turning Points (2)**

Catching the boy's severed head was no easy feat. Limited mobility in both arms, one with a hand missing made catching anything tricky business, but he caught him.

"You!" Anderson fell to his knees, rotating the boys head to face him. "Where is it?" When there was no answer, the priest scouted the river, searching for the rest of the lad.

"How dare you!" the head screamed at him, "How dare you interfere with my mission!"

"Mission?"

It bit him. "Ja, mein mission," the words were growled into Anderson's sleeve, but were still intelligible.

The paladin shook his arm free of the boy's jaws, but lost his tentative grip and the head rolled away. He dove after it, but it rolled over the edge of the building.

He was prepared to jump after it.

"Father Anderson!"

* * *

"Hmm… a little disruption," Major wove his fingers, "My, that priest has some fight in him, eh Frau Integra?"

"What is going on?"

"Ah ha," he made a short, acknowledging noise, and swiveled in his chair, "Do you know vat varrant Officer Schrödinger is, Frau?"

Integra wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"Any minute now, the plan vill be complete und you vill find—" something on a monitor caught his attention.

He swiveled back. "Nein!"

Integra felt a glimmer of hope.

The monitor showed two catholic priests (well, a priest and a nun) picking their way through the blood-river at an impressive speed. The one with the heavily bandaged face, trailing behind somewhat, gripped warrant officer's severed head by the hair; she pressed a cross to his forehead.

"Look fer the body," Anderson called over his shoulder, "It has to be somewhere!"

"Yessir"

The boy's head shouted, hissed and hollered, but Heinkel's grip was firm. He bit at her and tried to wrench himself away. "Herr Major!"

"Looks like your 'master plan'" Integra laughed "isn't working out so well."

She couldn't see his face, but she could tell the Major was panicking.

"Nein…"

* * *

"It's your defeat, Alucard…"

"The butler!" Heinkel rushed past Anderson, he followed. The blood rushed quicker here, making it difficult for the two of them to keep their balance. They ran until the others were in sight.

Heinkel dropped Schrödinger's head and fell to the ground, readying her rifle. The butler and his target were less than 3 kilometers away.

The head dissolved into the blood, Heinkel fired.

"Alucard!"

A single round ripped through Walter's chest, sending him backward.

The blood river stopped flowing, it pooled around Alucard. "You missed."

"Nein, I hit _my_ target." Heinkel pulled herself from the blood-soaked pavement. She looked to Anderson for a moment. "Give him hell," she saluted, and sprinted off.

Alucard watched Anderson for several moments. The priest returned his stare, but made a face.

"What?"

"Why are ye…" he paused, "Why are ye ae girl?"

"Inside joke."

"mmhmmm…"

"Why are you back? I thought you and your kind fled."

"We don't flee." Anderson narrowed his eyes. "My men are looking for an intact building, this fighting will end soon and we will all need a place tae recover."

Something exploded. The blood flow picked back up.

"Wait!" Anderson rushed toward Alucard, "The blood is tainted!"

"I'm supposed to believe you?"

"The cat-boy! He's in there!" Anderson tried to outrun the flow. "You'll become nothing- or everything! I'm not sure…"

Alucard paused, "Why would _you_ tell _me_ this?"

"Ah request a truce, a cease fire." The priest was burned by the words, but they had to be said. Alucard raised an eyebrow, "I save your life now, we both live to kill each other later."

Another explosion.

"Why not just let me die?" he smirked, "if that is what I'm going to do."

_Exactly. Why not?_

"Ah won't win this way."

"Oh?" the blood-flow stopped again. Alucard felt strange, but refused to show it.

"You will die by my bayonets, not some fluke." The paladin approached slower now, "By the righteousness of my humanity, and by the strength of mah arm. Not some little brat's poison."

"Come at me then."

"With what? I can barely lift mah arms."

_Good point._

"Alright, a temporary cease-fire," Alucard spread his hands, "then, when these war games are over, we will see who the better is."

"Ah won't be beaten by a little girl."

"Does this form not please you, Father?"

Anderson made another face at him, but said nothing, Alucard laughed.

A third explosion, this one ripped trough the city, giving both of them pause, "Looks like your master may be in trouble."

The vampire frowned, "Let's move."

* * *

"The comedy is over, Doc." Walter, seated on the floor, gazed up at the professor, "All is lost to us…"

"No, No!" he was ripping tufts of his hair out, "All of my research! All of my vork!"

"Research?" Walter chuckled, Doc didn't see the humor. "What research?"

"You pompous little-"

"You would be nothing without her!"

Doc paused. "I don't need her. I don't need Mina Harker! Mein research is mein own!"

"Bullshit." Walter flicked his wrist and took Doc's arm clean off at the shoulder. His remote clacked to the floor. "You. Me. This entire army, all just bootleg copies. Prototypes!"

"No."

"She created us, Doc." Walter smiled at the other man's distress, "She created you, and she created me. Without Mina we would not exist. She _let_ you use her for _her_ research not yours, she trusted in our abilities, and we have failed."

"I created this army!" The doctor was beyond any rational thought now, "I created all of this!" He stood, and raised his gaze to the heavens, "I am their god!"

_You are nothing!_

"You are nothing!" Walter hissed, "We are all nothing but failed experiments."

"You're wrong!"

The curtain came down behind him, the bonds holding Mina broke and her skeleton collapsed upon him.

Fires roared behind him, Walter reclined against a stone slab, "Poor Mina, to have such failures for sons."

"You've got that right."

Walter started, "what?"

Schrödinger stood a few feet away, grinning madly. "I'm glad you aren't my children."

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Walter fought to catch his breath, "You're supposed to be dead!"

"Heh, fancy that…" the boy knelt down next to Doc and Mina. "Guten morgen dear-heart."

The skeleton rattled.

Walter hissed, "Schrödinger…"

He kept whispering to the skeleton. Walter strained to hear, but the fire and distant explosions made it a futile effort.

"Angel of Death… ha!" Grand professor!" the boy was laughing loudly, doubling over. "No, they are not vorthy of their lives."

Doc was trying to crawl away, Schrödinger wouldn't let him. He grabbed the taller man by the back of his collar and shoved him against the concrete.

"Vhere do you think you're going?" Schrödinger clicked his tongue, "I don't think so."

Walter watched in horror as Schrödinger guided Mina's skull to Doc's neck, and clamped her jaw down. The blood that spilled from the wound became wisps of red smoke, regenerating portions of the Harker woman until she could bite Doc without Schrödinger's assistance.

"Velcome back to the world of the living Frau Harker."

She looked up from the dried carcass and said something the ex-butler couldn't hear. Schrödinger responded in kind and the two of them stared at Walter.

"Oh, Engel!" Schrödinger called. "Your turn"

* * *

They followed the sound of gunfire.

Alucard had shifted back to his average male form and led the way through twisted steal and smoke. Anderson paced him without too much effort, wound in his leg long healed.

Thirty more steps and the women came into view.

"_Master_"

Once in the room, they could better understand the situation. Major lay on the ground some feet away, bleeding nuts and bolts, both ladies had a firearm aimed at his face.

"Oh look, the cavalry has arrived!"

Integra and Alucard acknowledged each other, but said nothing.

Seras shifted her gaze to Anderson, "Good to see you made it out, Father"

"No thanks tae ye."

"You told me to leave you there."

"I know, draculina." He smirked.

She smiled back.

"What are your orders, Sir Integra?" Alucard locked his gaze on the Major.

"Des—"

"Not quite, Fraulein!"

Major sat up straighter, "Varrant officer Schrödinger!"

"Hallo, Herr Major." The boy stood in the hall. All eyes turned to him. He was accompanied by a lank, emaciated figure dressed in a uniform to large for her. "Remember her?"

Major gasped, "Fr-Frau Harker."

She spoke, her tongue was missing so the boy had to translate, "Major, your war has ended. You have proven yourself, inefficient and ineffective."

"Nein!"

Mina crossed the room as she spoke, "Three times I have given you missions, and three times you have failed! I gave you my children, my blood, my power, and you have failed me! Time and again you have failed me!"

"Nein, Frau- I-"

"Enough."

Schrödinger drew his pistol. Integra beat him to the shot. He glared at her. "You're no fun," he chided.

She pointed her gun at him.

"Oh!"

Mina pulled him back, and gave him a command; he turned and made his way out of the room without another word. Mina turned to follow him.

"It's been a long time Miss Murray." Alucard stepped into her path.

* * *

"_It's Missus Harker, now."_ They still had a telepathic link.

He approached her, "Just as fiery as always, Missus." His grin threatened to consume his face.

"_I have you to thank, Count."_

"You give me far too much credit!" Alucard put his hands on her shoulders. "What will you do now that your allies are gone? Join me, finally?"

"_They aren't all dead."_

"Oh? Let me guess… no, don't tell me… the Vatican is on your side, right?"

"_No."_ She smiled crookedly. Her owlish stare dug into him, "_but that was a good guess."_

"Aww. I really thought you and Anderson were in cahoots."

She made a face Alucard couldn't read, she smiled a second later.

Her demeanor changed, and her face filled out. In moments, she was the Mina he remembered. The Mina he had bitten; full faced, and freckled. She tucked her thick hair behind one ear and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders.

"You want to know what I'm going to do now that I'm not tied down to the Major?" Her accent had a metallic, artificial twang to it.

He returned her embrace. The world had faded around them, everything was fuzzy and disjointed.

"I will do what my husband and his allies could not."

Alucard laughed, "What? Kill me?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not," She pulled him closer and whispered harshly in his ear, " but there is one thing I know…"

He listened closely.

"You will suffer."

* * *

End chapter 2


	3. Part three

Last part before the real story. I promise!

Part 3 of 3

**Chapter 3**

**Sunrise/Sunset**

Mina's nails dug into both sides of his face. She clawed at him, even after he'd pushed her away.

"Whether you live or whether you die, you will suffer!" she reverted to her emaciated zombie form, "suffer for the heartache you have caused!"

It was a struggle to keep her arms length away; Alucard wasn't sure where the others had gone. Why no one was there.

The woman continued screaming.

"You're no match for me," and with a final shove, Mina fell to the ground. Alucard barred his teeth, "you're no stronger than anything else I've gone against, Missy."

She growled back up at him.

"You think that just because you've been alive for a few centuries, just because you've got powerful allies; that makes you strong enough to destroy me?" he scoffed, "you're pathetic. I should put you out of your misery."

"_I'd like to see you try."_

* * *

Alucard jolted out of his seat.

"Are you alright, master?" Seras looked at him quizzically, "Another nightmare?"

"No. It's nothing."

"Oh… okay then."

He walked off.

Seras stared after her master. Despite the threat being gone, he still seemed so on edge. At first she thought that it was the fact that Anderson and the other Catholics were sharing a headquarters with them, but after a day she discovered that wasn't the case. Then she thought of the woman, what was her name? Mina?

When Mina left with Schrödinger after Major was dead, Alucard seemed…

There wasn't really a word for it that Seras could think of. He refused to tell anyone what he knew about the woman. Or even talk about her in casual conversation.

That wasn't right, but it wasn't strange either.

And whenever Master did sleep he would always jolt, sometimes violently, awake, as though he was waking up from a nightmare.

And yet, nothing was different.

Seras didn't like it.

* * *

It was cramped, but livable. The Section XIII missionaries had managed to find one intact building after their search, along with a handful of survivors.

Nearly everyone in the city of London had died.

Everyone did their part to make life a little easier until reinforcements arrived, but there was still an air of depression, loss, and hopelessness.

Integra mostly kept to herself to avoid talking to people.

"It's disheartening, isn't it?"

The voice made her jump. "Father," she breathed, "what—"

"The vampires are looking for you."

"Oh, yes." She shook her head to clear her thoughts, "I guess I just got distracted."

Anderson rested his hand on her shoulder, "The worst is over," he said, "Now we have tae rebuild."

"All of those people…"

"Mourning the lost won't bring them back," the priest sighed, "move on."

Integra nodded and walked off.

That left Anderson alone with his thoughts.

The Nail was lost to them. What would the Vatican…

Suddenly, he didn't want to be alone with his thoughts anymore.

* * *

Days passed, and there were still no signs that help was coming. Even the scouts that were sent to find populated towns had yet to return.

The people became more and more panicked. Some needed to be brought back to reality by force and it was Alucard that normally went around slapping people.

Physically, everyone seemed to be on the mend, Heinkel's wounds had been bandaged properly, so now she could speak and be understood by almost everyone. Even Anderson's arms were significantly healed the third day and by the forth he'd gained full mobility of his left arm. His right hand was still a little stiff, but it was there.

Seras and Integra, who hadn't sustained any real damage, spent their recovery time assisting others and making arrangements for when help did arrive.

On of these arrangements was a pact formed by Section XIII and the Hellsing organization; a larger manifestation of the Anderson/Alucard armistice. The civilians came before religious war, but once London was rebuilt this cease-fire would be voided.

If London was ever rebuilt.

* * *

Dawn of the seventh day saw the arrival of soldiers.

The civilians were ecstatic, practically flinging themselves at the young men and women that offered help.

The people, priests and vampires included, were moved southward out of the ruins.

The humans were able to sleep on cots and eat a decent amount for the first time in a week. With luck, they would soon be promoted to beds, and non-freeze-dried foodstuffs.

The vampires were supplied with blood transfusions and makeshift coffins.

Things were looking up.

Transportation arrived for the remaining Section XIII priests sometime later.

The Cardinals that came counted up the priests, "Eight? Is that all?"

Heinkel looked around, counted eight, and realized Anderson wasn't with them. She went off to find him.

"Father?"

"Yes Heinkel?"

She gestured toward the clump of priests gathered at the entrance to the shelter they'd been allowed to stay in. "The Cardinals have arrived for us, Father. They're ready to take us to the Vatican so we can report what happened."

"Ah'm not goin' Heinkel."

"Vhat!"

"Ah said Ah'm not goin'." He turned and looked her in the eye, "Ah intended to stay here until the Nail is found and I can bring it back to them."

"but-"

"Dinnae argue with me" Anderson held up a hand for emphasis, "Ah have tae do this. Ah lost the Nail that day, Ah will find it again."

"Father…"

"Ah will come back." He smiled reassuringly, "Ah promise."

She hugged him, then turned and rejoined the others. "You better come back, or ve'll hunt you down und make you come back!"

* * *

_January 14_

_Wallachia, Romania._

"How long should ve vait, Countess?"

Mina smiled, "I am still weak, my pet." She patted Schrödinger's head, "And we need to formulate a plan and gather our allies… and sacrifices."

Schrödinger's ears perked up. "You plan to create an Amulet then?"

"Yes, I do." She took a deep breath, "But there is still much to do."

"Vhen should ve contact the boys?"

Mina took Helena's Nail out of a pocket in her coat. She held it in the moonlight and admired the thing for sometime before answering,

"As soon as possible. Do you know where Dymitri and the other one… what was his name?"

"Um… something that started vith an F…I can't remember right now."

"Hmm. Anyway, do you know where to find them?" He nodded. The two of them crossed the long stone bridge to the castle. As they stood outside the heavy oaken doors, Mina smiled. "It's impressive," she said, "but it isn't home."

"Ja."

"Go get the werewolf."

Schrödinger was gone.

Mina swung one of the doors open. The castle was empty and abandoned. Rumor was, the place was haunted and the Count Dracula may return to take the lives of any and all who had entered. It was all superstition and she knew it, but superstition made the old building outrageously easy to get, no questions asked. Mina couldn't complain.

"So many have died here, Count," she laughed and the sound echoed against the stone walls, "soon you will join their ranks."

* * *

End chapter three

A/N: alright, that's it for the prequel. Now it's time to get started on the REAL story. _Wilhelmina._ Ugh. I wrote this whole thing in two days. I can't stand it. Again, I may just merge the two stories together if it seems logical. FLASHBACKS OMG, but that's TBA.

Reviews are unnecessary for this, but if you wanna review, I'm not stoppin' ya.


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